narutofanonfandomcom-20200222-history
The Damaged Goods
The fiery Eikage looked around at the city that she now stood in. It was the village of her husband, the presiding Ryūseikage. Part of her grinned at how much it had grown, much like her own had over the past few years. Some of it stemmed from a fruitful alliance with Ryūseigakure and Tokugakure, but it also came from a growing distrust towards the Great Nations, a distrust that smaller village were benefiting from in order to increase their own power and standing within the shinobi world's hierarchy. Aka shook her head to release such political thoughts, before continuing to walk through the large city. She had decided to leave her Eikage attire at home, considering it too formal for such an affair. After all, she was going to talk with her husband, and catch up on things. With their demanding jobs, they didn't have much time to see each other or their children. Their children. A dark cloud descended over Aka's mind at notion. She was worried about them, they had been going on so many missions lately, and rarely interacted with any one besides themselves. As such, she had begun having Ei shinobi tail them discreetly. Part of her suspected that Makaze was doing the same; despite the distance between them and their careers, they always shared a powerful understanding, particularly when it came to their children. It was one of the things she loved about him. With this in mind, she stepped through the doors of the building before ascending to the top floor where Makaze normally resided. The staff waved cheerfully; they knew the fiery woman well, and respected her for the title she held and the love she shared with their beloved leader. Calmly, Aka let herself into the office before smiling, seeing her husband bent over stacks and stacks of papers. "It's been a while brain fart," Aka said, using her nickname for her husband before playfully tackling with a hug. "How have you been?" she asked. "The core is coming along fine we'll get to the schematics later Genei." Makaze sighed as he waved him off. "Whatever clown man." The other replied as he warped away. The Ryūseikage looked down at his piles of papers and sighed. He had promised his wife to start doing paperwork without machines at least once a week and was regretting every word of now, especially with the state of the world. He smiled a bit as he stared out his window and smiled at the bustling street as waves of people moved through the sea of buildings. His smile quickly faltered as the thought of his children reached his mind. It had been so long since he had seen them in the flesh, no masks or disguises. Makaze slumped back into his chair and bent down to finish the rest of his paperwork. At least Aka will be here soon. He thought as his smile returned. A loud crash was heard as Makaze was knocked to the ground by a flying Aka who fell on top of him. "Real mature." He spoke in an overly stern and serious voice before his face and words melted into laughter and a giant hug. "It's so good to see you again, work is now 24/7 ya know." The genius laughed as he helped Aka to her feet and motioned for her to sit wherever as he plopped back down on his chair. "So how have you been doing?" Makaze asked. Aka laughed as they stood once more. Pulling out a nearby chair, she sat down next to him, allowing her head to rest on his shoulder. "I've been doing well," she responded, releasing a sigh of contentment; she had missed him greatly over the past months, their work serving as a constant separation. Aka allowed herself a few more seconds before straightening up once more, reclining in the chair she had chosen. Her face turned serious and her expression became grave, one only had to guess in order to know that their children were on her mind. "I'm worried about the Nagisa and Kenzou," Aka admitted, knowing that her husband shared the same preoccupation. "Lately, they have isolated themselves further and further from society, and I'm worried about the repercussions such an action will have on them." Internally, her mind drifted to their anbu deployments, one that had increased recently by their own digression. "It might be time to pull them out of the anbu, the nature of the missions aren't good for their psyche." A thought continued to trouble her however, as she wondered if their current actions were the results of how they grew up. Their conversation would be interrupted by a shinobi bursting in, one wearing the Eigakure headband. He was accompanied by a female shinobi with the Ryūsei symbol on her forehead protector. Both of them were extraordinarily out of breath, as if they had run a great distance from somewhere. "Eikage-sama and Ryūseikage-san, we have a problem," the female gasped as the two attempted to regain their stamina from the long hike. Make's face turned serious as Aka brought up their children. "I see we are on the same page then." He spoke as he put his arm around her. "Kenzou is becoming increasingly unwilling to talk or even appear near me but he seems to be happy when he's giving advice. Nagisa on the other hand I barely ever see, just like Kenzou she gives the report and leaves. Sometimes she doesn't even sound like the Nagisa I know." Makaze sighed as he looked at his lovely wife. Just then two shinobi had to burst in shouting, if not for their screams for help and frantic pace Makaze would have probably punished them for ruining a moment he barely had with his wife. "What is it?" He asked to two. Aka paused to think. "So you've noticed that too. I'm not sure if I like the way the missions are effecting their psyche. It's seems like Nagisa at times if sifting through multiple appearances and personalities as if she were still partaking in a mission. Kenzou.... well he's been pretty abrupt lately and seems like he's teetering on the edge of a cliff." Aka pondered aloud. With the interruption of the two shinobi, she turned around, about to punish them for ruining this moment. However, the frantic look on their faces stayed her hand. "What is the issue?" Aka asked. The male had finally gathered himself. "It's the twins. We tracked them as promised, before realizing they were headed for a barren portion of the Land of Focus. They got into an argument, and then Kenzou....snapped. Nagisa tried to stop him initially, and it looked like she would have succeeded, but something stopped her. The scary part is...she joined the rampage. So far there's been no collateral but, we don't know how long such a notion will hold," he reported, the female nodding her argument. The apprehension on their faces were evident; it appeared that they had witnessed a exponential amount of damage, and were greatly distressed about the health and safety of their villages and the surrounding communities. Flashback Kenzou Kantoku walked through the wastelands of the land of focus with his sister by his side, they had headed out to check on a small territory that had presumed to have been occupied by bandits. Truly though the twins just wanted to think. "Well here we are." Kenzou sighed as he waved his hand in the air. "The middle of nowhere, why the hell did you have me come here? It's a waste of my time." The young man spat. Nagisa Kantoku stared at her brother before smirking. "What do you mean it's a waste of your time? You think just blowing off steam occasionally by destroying things is going to help you? How about you get it through your thick skull that you need help, or at least someone to moderate your existence. God, you think your going to hide behind that wise, all-knowing and helpful mask forever?" Her eyes darkened a shade to their natural vermilion color. She was not in the mood to baby her twin brother, particularly one who had exhibited a capability to take care of himself in the past. "You need a more constructive way to deal with that angst. You're teetering on a cliff and I don't want you to fall over," Nagisa said as her fury subsided, replaced by genuine worry for her twin. "At this point I have about a couple ten thousand trying to push me over, I can barely deal with the fucking pressure." Kenzou coldly stated. "You have no idea what it's like to be me, forced to be the pinnacle of perfection. You may have MPD but at least thats helpful sometimes." Kenzou yelled as he turned towards her with anger. Just then a horde of shiobi blasted from the sand and impaled Kenzou with their blades but he barely even moved. A small smile crept to his face as were ripped out of him by a shockwave emanating from his very body. "So you were right after all Nagisa." He laughed as he swiftly dismembered them all, his smile growing wider and wider. "You know what, fuck it, I'm done. This world has sent me to the edge and I'm gonna jump, maybe the bottom will be better than the top." With that said Kenzou unlocked his seal to one hundred percent and a world ripping shockwave raged through the terrain and left a scar on the very earth. Kenzou began laughing manically as he shot of at unimaginable speeds, firing off punches that blew chunks out of the land he shot by. "Helpful? How the hell is it helpful?" Nagisa snarled back, "I don't even know who I fucking am anymore." Nagisa rage had started to boil over. It was stopped short by the sudden impalement of her brother, which caused her to go into shock. Such a state was brief however as she watched the merciless state in which her brother dealt with them. "KENZOU STOP," she yelled, only for it to fall on deaf ears as a shockwave sent her back. "No, he can't do that...not here," Nagi muttered incoherently after colliding with a large sand construct. With the full activation of her brother's seal, she knew there was little to be done. But Nagisa had to try anyways. So she opened her own to about 50%, causing a smaller, though still tremendous shockwave that was felt on a nationwide scale. She began clashing with her brother, though the level at which he was fighting gave her fits. It was at such a moment a second adversary appeared; her own illness. "Open it up, use the power given to you," it whispered. "Come on, look at how much fun your brother is having. You and I both know if you are going to stop him you'll have to go all out." it continued. "I...can't, I won't lose control," Nagi said, before a punch from her brother sent her flying backwards. A large crater opened around her from the impact. "Do it." Her mind twisted as she fought against the others, that were always lurking, always switching places at time both convenient and inconvenient. And she lost. Nagisa's grimace turned into that of masochistic pleasure as her seal opened completely, reaching the pillar of 100%. The previous shockwave of her brother was eclipsed by her own, as it's range tore across the fabric of the Shinobi Continent. "Leave some for me dear brother," Nagisa sneered as she flew after brother, leaving twin paths of destruction in their wake. Flashback Ends "Dammit!" Makaze shouted as he slammed his fist on the desk, causing it to crack. He then jumped out of his chair and began typing furiously in a console and then walked away with fear on his face. "They both sent their seals to one hundred percent, I can approximate that within four hours there will be nothing left around them." Makaze spoke grimly before grabbing Aka's hand and painting a seal on it. "That will temporarily lockdown the seal if you touch it." Makaze spoke before activating a portal to the children. "Lets go." Aka noted the seal that he placed on her hand. It was of a rather complex design, something that her clansmen would no doubt appreciate. It's potency at sealing remained to be seen however. Though, given her husband had made it, she had little doubt that it would function as intended once coming into contact with opposing seal. Her husband's outburst told everything she needed; the explanation simply confirmed it. "We go now." she stated simply, her voice grave as she stepped through the portal. Before completing the action however, she turned back. "Thank you for informing us," she said in acknowledgment. The two shinobi just nodded, stricken that two Kage-level shinobi were necessary to stop those powerful kids. "So we have four hours max to shut this down," Aka murmured as they stepped foot in the barren land. Makaze surveyed the area as the two stepped from the portal. "They should be here in exactly 5 minutes so prepare yourself." Makaze spoke to Aka as he activated his eye's final form as a pair of ethereal purple wings shot from his back. "We cannot afford to hold back here, use everything you have to subdue them." Makaze spoke authoritatively. On the outside he looked like a proud kage, ready to face a strong enemy but on the inside he was terrified. Makaze had thought about his children constantly and knew that there were definitely problems with them but he could never find where they originated. Aka was right about his brain farting, especially on emotions. Despite this the Ryūseikage promised himself he would be strong and get his kids back, no matter the cost. Aka noted his grave his expression as fire roared over her form. It appeared to consume the Kage before stabilizing, showing a woman composed entirely of fire. No longer was it simply an armor, as Eikage, she had learned to become the fire itself. Her eyes burned with a golden wrath as she surveyed the landscape. She knew Makaze was right; even the most inept of people could have felt the shockwave that her daughter produced. As a veteran sensor, she knew it immediately originated from Nagisa; same for Kenzou when he produced his own prior to Nagisa's transformation. She activated the Body Flicker Technique in tandem with her fiery existence; with it, her speed had long surpassed the many speedy shinobi before her. Aka would need if she was going to survive this fight. In her non seal hand, she formed a another potent seal. With all her preparations ready, Aka sighed. To think it would come to this, she thought sadly. Her sensory picked up as she felt the potent chakra in the distant. "Here they come," she warned. Makaze jumped in front of Aka as the twin shockwaves approached them and held out his hand "Black hole." He spoke as the shockwave was absorbed into his hand. As he looked ahead he could she his children approaching at godlike speeds and narrowed his eyes before jumping forwards. "I'll take Nagisa you take Kenzou." Makaze shouted as he created a portal in front of Nagisa and jumped through another himself. The two appeared over the ocean, probably far north of the land of focus. As Makaze warped Nagisa away Aka was left with her angered and broken son Kenzou. "This is all your fault." Kenzou screamed as he slammed into the ground next to her, kicking up rocks and debris as he landed. He then jumped away from the spot, kicking up even more debris. "Fair enough," she stated as Makaze and Nagisa disappeared. Any would be projectiles were burned to cinders by her form, with went from a golden hue to white hot. "You're right. It is our faults. Makaze and I. And I plan to take responsibility for it starting now." Aka stated in response, not phased by her son's wrath. If anything, his speed was everything she expected of a full release if not more. As he jumped away once more, Aka sped with him, cautiously following where he would fall. Once he did, she would have a surprise waiting for him. We really were good leaders but horrible parents. Aka thought. Meanwhile Nagisa landed atop the ocean, casually standing upon it's surface. "Well, well. If it is the perpetrator of this little affair." Nagisa sneered as shot towards her father. "Feeling guilty yet?" she snarled, a malicious smile forming as her lip curled. With godlike speed in hand, she raced towards him, closing the gap in milliseconds. With deliberate focus, she aimed a powerful punch to his gut, using every bit of momentum and god-like strength she possessed to deal the blow. Kenzou sneered as his mother chased after him. "Oh yeah your speed is PERFECT you can keep up with me just fine. BUT MINE ISNT PERFECT IS IT? IS IT?" He screamed as he propelled himself into the air by applying so much force he could walk on it. Kenzou shot into the sky and over the clouds, within a spit second he shot down once again, rocketing off the air with perfection towards Aka with pinpoint accuracy. "SHOW ME YOUR PERFECTION." He screamed as he extended his hand into a fist. Meanwhile Makaze stared at his daughter as she blasted towards him, only able to match her speed because of his eyes. He held out his hand and shouted. "White hole" Releasing the blast he previously absorbed, knocking Nagisa back and creating a large chasm in the ocean. "I never wanted this to happen Nagi and I wish it never did. I obsessed over my work and look what happened to you." Makaze spoke as tears formed in his eyes. "I swear once this is over things will change." He screamed as he changed forwards as he commanded the ocean to attack her. Aka, for her part, finally lost her cool. "Perfect? What makes you think I'm perfect? There's nothing perfect about me! If there was, you wouldn't have been led to this!" she shouted, raw emotion in her voice. As Kenzou's fist come roaring towards her, she reacted, standing firm before pouring every inch of her speed into her hand. Implanted within it's grasp was Uzumaki heirloom that boded well. With the fist near collision Aka ducked, her speed having risen yet again to even higher levels. Her hand pressed against Kenzou's back, the center for his reserves and the place where all of his god-like power would be held. "Now!" Aka screamed as she activated her seal, allowing it to temporarily restrict Kenzou to much lower levels. She would have only a limited amount of time however, before the seal was burned off by the sheer amount of power within. I need to apply the second now, she thought, her son's fist colliding with her fiery form. Taking the other hand, she did so swiftly, knowing each passing second meant the weakening of the primary seal she had applied. "I won't let you walk down this road," Aka declared, her eyes burning with golden flames. Nagisa for her part stood up unabashedly, despite her clothes having suffered. "WHAT DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND ABOUT IT BEING TOO LATE?" she roared, "We've walked off the cliff, there's nothing but space above and below us. We're falling." A released shockwave blew through the manipulated ocean as she shot by her father, only to turn out a roundhouse as she passed him. "Die like the pathetic parent you are," she sneered. Kenzou flinched as the seal slammed into his back and spread in an attempt to restrict his chakra. His eyes flicked as his mothers hand neared his back with another seal. "YOU'LL NEVER BE AS I AM NOW!" He screamed as he springboard off his mother and back into the air, the sheer power inside burning through the seal. "I lived in the shadows of two gods and was expected to surpass them both in everything, my mind just kinda snapped ya know." He spoke in a scarily calm voice as his face softened before flashing into an insane smile."SO BY KILLING THEM I'M PERFECT BY DEFAULT!" Kenzou roared as he disappeared in a flash, soon Aka would feel the air around her move so fast that the oxygen was erased. As Kenzou ran around and around he finally broke off and charged with a fistful of rage at his mother. Makaze blocked the kick with his arm and jumped back to find his bone had snapped due to the sheer force of the kick. "You do know my body contains a disease that heals me faster then anything can destroy me." Makaze spoke as his arm had already fixed itself. Nags just smiled as she drew her sword and charged at him swiftly dodging his punches and slicing him wherever she could however his wounds healed far faster than she could inflict them. Finally with a brilliant flash of metal Makaze's left hand flew from his body and Nagisa shot into the air, above the clouds. "You realize this won't work either, Makaze spoke as he rewinded the wound, leaving him as if nothing had happened. As he looked into the sky he saw a flash of red as his daughter shot down towards him before slamming into the ground next to him and attempting to grab him. Makaze however grabbed her by the hair and prepared to slam his left palm into her back but before he could her sword fell from the heavens, piercing his shoulder down to his leg. Nagisa then flipped out of his grasp and kicked the sword so it was entirely buried within Makaze's body. "So you did really get my genius." Makaze spoke with a small smile as he attempted to move his ver stiff left side to no avail. He could not heal or rewind the wound as the sword was buried there and in this situation he had not time to dig it out of his body. Makaze quickly used his wings to shoot into the air at a speed so fast time seemed to slow. As he stared down at Nagisa he held his hand high and a orb of chrono-energy appeared that dwarfed his city. From this orb countless rays of energy shot out, homing in on Nagoya. "This is it my beautiful girl, Chrono Art: Eternal Judgment!" Aka caught the fistful of rage, the amount of power and wind generated temporarily neutralizing her fire, resulting in her taking the hit. It caused her to sail backwards, leaving a giant scar in the earth. Aka could feel the broken bones that resulted from that hit, causing her to groan as she stood. In spite of herself, Aka could see how much Kenzou had grown, a small smile ghosting over the edge of her lips. This would turn into a grimace as she began moving, her fiery form flickering as it returned to life, spreading over her wounds and temporarily reducing them to a dull pain. She would definitely feel the inflicton from that blow later. "You have grown greatly my son," Aka said as she walked out of the hole. The broken bones still bothered her despite Aka's fiery form, though she couldn't waste such time on that conflict. "Well, I suppose you have earned this." Raising her hand above her head, a small orb of scorch chakra appeared, before growing larger and larger as her chakra poured into it. Once it had reached rather monumental proportions, Aka let it go, allowing the large construct to home in on Kenzou. "This is for you my handsome son. Drought of the Rising Sun!" The massive construct caused the ground of the already barren landscape to wither and crackle as it sped towards Kenzou. "You have the audacity to use that against me!" Nagisa roared, raw betrayal running through her voice. She dodged the first few with relative ease, noting they were still significantly slower than what she expected. That is, until one it her. And then another, followed by a few more. In total she had avoided half, considering she was adapting to her newly heightened abilities. While they damaged her, it was nothing she couldn't recover from; what irked her more was the side effects. Following each one, the world appeared to slow down slightly, to the point of steadying. It was at that point she realized their secondary effects. "That cunning old man," Nagi spat as her speed was slowed to sub-godling levels. "I'll kill him," Nagi resolved, a wicked smile spreading over her face as she remembered the sword still buried within him. Flexing her hands she drew upon the magnetic qualities within her bloodline and began playing with the very weapon wedged within her father. Because it was attuned to her, the weapon responded, causing the smile to turn into a sadistic laugh. "Good-bye father," Nagi said as she began to play with sword, causing it to render further damage while remaining firmly entrenched within Makaze. Nagisa caused it to further rip through Makaze, knowing the amount of internal destruction she was causing to his inner organs but not caring one bit. Kenzou flinched briefly as the massive ball of flames bared down on him however Kenzou was never one to shy from a chance to prove his perfection. "KOUMANOGAN!" He screamed as his eyes took on the form of the doujutsu he despised. He then stared at the falling sun and stared at it with a piercing gaze."Chrono Art: Dust." He spoke as the sun became black and white before slowly breaking apart as it fell, the pieces fading into nothing. As the falling sun had almost been destroyed Kenzou felt a hand on his back. "Son of a..." Makaze winced as the his own daughter moved her sword within him, slowly cutting him from the inside. Wherever the blade wasn't his body healed but the damage was still plentiful. This is quite enough I need to stop this now The man thought to himself as he formed a small portal behind him and slid his right hand through, it emerged behind Nagisa and slammed into her back, deactivating the seal and locking her body down. "Now we can talk." Makaze spoke as he floated down to his daughter. "I know I can't understand your exact feelings but I think I get it. I was a horrible father, I obsessed over meetings and technology when I really should've been obsessing over you." He spoke sadly as he bowed his head in shame. With the locking of Nagisa's seal, there was a reverse shockwave, as flew towards the center that was Nagi before dimming. Once completed, the landscape returned to normal; that is, if a bruised and battered location could be considered normal by any stretch of the imagination. Her wicked smile turned into full of bitterness. Her mental anguish still lay on the surface, as her MPD lurked throughout her system. "And yet I still remain hidden by their shadows," Nagisa muttered incoherently, "I'm imperfect, a second-rate who failed on the one important mission." The rage of earlier was replaced with a powerful, all-consuming depression, the tipping of the scale as her multi-personality disorder switched once more. "I FAILED," Nagisa cried, her reaction that of a broken individual who lost to the sands of time. In her depression, she didn't hear what her father said, though she saw him hang is head in shame. "Are you happy now? You won, proved you're the omnipotent being everyone in the village revered you as, and showed that I'll remain perpetually in the shadow of your legacy." Nagisa whispered bitterly, defeat, bottomless despair, and the very beginnings of insanity dwelling in those vermilion eyes. Aka felt the same shockwave when closed Makaze's seal, a reverse woosh that sang through her bones as it returned to the epicenter; Kenzou. With that, she could feel the battle was over; she had won, if you can call defeating the child you loved a victory. Sadness befell Aka as she moved away from her son. "I don't know what to tell you. Sorry seems too weak of a word for the situation I left you and Nagisa in. Fending for yourselves when as your mother I should have taken care of you and guided you along like all mothers do with their young. Instead, I replaced you, who should have been my priority, with that of the village. I've failed you as a mother and as a parent," Aka said, bowing before her broken son in shame. Only now did she realize what all those years had done to her children. They were to be immediately withdrawn from the anbu, no questions asked. She knew the fragility from those early years was only nourished by the challenging and often amoral qualities of the anbu station. Makaze sighed, he clearly wasn't getting to her. "Nagisa look at me HOW DID I WIN, LOOK AT ME. I'M BEING FORCED TO FIGHT MY OWN DAUGHTER TO STOP HER FROM DESTROYING HERSELF. I NEVER ASKED FOR THIS." He shouted as tears flowed form his eyes. "I deserve it though, I deserve every wound I have in me. Every broken bone and ruptured organ I deceiver more than the next. I ignored you and let myself get wrapped up in your work, I'm the reason you have MPD, i'm the reason you did this, i'm the cause of almost every bad thing in your life. It's all my fault. I should have taken time off to raise you, I should have done more with you. I am a failure." Makaze spoke weakly as the tears from his eyes melded into the salty water. "I don't blame you for hating me, I just hope that I can eventually right all my wrongs for you." He sniffled as his eyes stared into the depths below. Kenzou stared at his mother blankly as he stood up and spoke towards the sky, not wanting to look at her. "I was your first child and from day one a legend. Two of the strongest and smartest age had a child and I was to be a prodigy, nay a god. I grew without the warmth and love that comes from a parent I grew in a whirlwind of expectations without the things I needed to exceed those expectations. Nagisa became bent on changing herself to fit these means but wasn't able to satisfy everything with one face so she gained multiple faces. I was cursed with a face that could accept it all but that tore me apart. I never wanted to fight but I had to, It was expected of me. I had no one to tell me it was ok and I didn't have to. I was forced into this and became a ruthless killer, one that could not stop even if they wanted to. These hands are stained with the lives of hundreds of thousands, these lives are here forever." Kenzou spoke grimly as his head slowly panned down from the sky and he stared into his mother's eyes. "I've been in hell since the day I was born. I just want you to understand that. I truly just want to go home and forget everything." The young man spoke as his gaze became lost. Aka's head remain bowed among Kenzou's words. She could tell that he had regained some sense of self; his explanation of the situation the twins were born into only made her further ashamed. Neither she nor Makaze had the right to call themselves parents. They had let down their children from the moment they were born. Aka had been blind to the legacy that she and Makaze unknowingly created with their reigns as Kage, and their children paid the price. Only now did she realize that. Aka cursed herself for being such a fool over those years. All she could do now is begin to repair the damage of all that time, having never been there for Nagisa and Kenzou when they needed all those years ago. With one graceful movement, Aka gathered her son into a hug, ignoring the screaming pain of her broken bones and the shame that came from realizing that this act was far too rare so long ago. But nothing could be done about the past, all that remained was the present and future. Aka hoped to learn from her mistakes however, showing her son a parent's love that he had lacked for far too long. "Let's go home then," Aka responded simply. There would be much to be discussed, beginning with the end of the twin's anbu tenure. Nagisa could feel her father's shame, anguish and despair as it rolled of him in waves. Somehow, it reached Nagi from the depths of her own, pulling her from the bottom and restoring a sense of self. "It's just, all this time I was raised in the shadows of your legacy, the power you and mom possessed," Nagisa began hesitantly as her MPD quieted. "Nothing ever seemed to be good enough, I tried my hardest, adopted the label prodigy, yet still fell short. So I changed, and gained faces, personalities if you will, to cope. Each one seemed to satisfy some facet, so I created more, hoping I could cover all bases. Fox...she was my work of art. She forged a reputation that finally gained me acknowledgement. It seemed like I was starting to succeed with my goal. Maybe I could reach the vaunted level of Kage someday. With her though, I lost myself, clearing the battlefield of thousands as I went to match my brother. These weapons you see are saturated with the blood of armies. These hands as well. All in the name of making my own place. That's all I want you to know. Brother was the same, only he was capable of compiling his prodigyhood into one form and standing firm in the cold world that we lived in. He didn't need multiple personalities like me. Does that make me weak?" Nagisa finished, appearing as nothing more than a lost child. Makaze stood with a stumble as half his body was still immobile but he managed to fall into a one armed hug around Nagisa. "You're far from weak Nagisa. The fact that you went on this long with as terrible a father as me is amazing." He spoke with guilt as a portal enveloped to two and moved them back to Aka and Kenzou. "I see you and Kenzou calmed down as well." He spoke as he let Nagisa down and Kenzou embrace her in a hug. "I think we might get better now. Not fast but over time we may get glued back together." He spoke with a hint of hope in his voice as he embraced his twin. Makaze looked at Aka with a small smile before worry set in as he sensed her broken bones. "Aka are you okay?" He screeched as he limped over to her with the right side of his body. "If by okay you mean alive, then yes." Aka responded, before groaning as the pain came back. Her temporary remedy had faded, leaving only a memory of relief in lieu of rather pronounced agony. "God Kenzou, you packed a punch," Aka complained before laughing. The warmth within her laugh began to dispel the remaining tension among the new family. At this point she noticed a sword belonging to her daughter firmly embedded in her husband's side. It was apparent that Nagisa had figured out a way to counter her father's incredible healing ability; such a thing simply confirmed just how strong a kunoichi Aka's daughter had become. She wished that it hadn't been under such circumstances however. "I think we should remove that sword," Aka said with a raised eyebrow. However, a cautious smile came to her face as she watched Nagisa and Kenzou embrace. She decided now was a good time to break the news to her two children. "From this point forward, you are no longer assigned to the anbu," Aka started, ignoring the aches and pains of this conflict. "Such an act was a mistake on my part. I should have never pushed you two away, leaving you to the whims of the dark side of the shinobi world. You are hereby reassigned as jōnin of Eigakure. I want to foster a relationship that we've lacked for far too long, and this anbu assignment would be an impediment to that." Having finished her statement, Aka sighed. "Let's go home my children and husband." Nagisa was shocked when her father hugged her. After all she had done, toying with the embedded sword as if she wanted to tear him apart from the inside. The way she felt all her life. Such a gesture caused tears to silently flow down her face. As they returned to where Kenzou and Aka were, Nagi hugged her twin, the stream continuing. Were they happy tears or sad tears? Maybe they were hopeful, Nagi decided. She needed this relationship between her and her parents to change for the better. It was in this moment of clarity that she recognized her mother's decision as a good one; for her at least, the anbu had done little to help and much to hamper the young woman's fragile psyche. "Let's." Nagi agreed as she stood by her mother. It was time to return home. Category:Great's Play of Words